And It's Beginning To Get To Me
by hesmilespolitely
Summary: She sighs and tips half the wine down her throat before the rim next leaves her mouth. "I need this," she murmurs.


AN: This is what I'd like to see happen in the LA episode.

Spoilers: Pretty much all of season 3. Primarily linked to the spoilers released about 'To Love and Die in LA'.

Enjoy. :)

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><p>She admires her room within the suite that Rick has booked. She looks over the closet space- none of which she thinks she'll be needing- the queen sized bed, the door of the en suite bathroom. Her eyes settle back on Rick as he carries in two glasses and a bottle of red wine. He places the glasses on the desk in the room before pouring them, handing one to her. Kate moves to the bed, sitting with her back against the headboard. She sighs and tips half the wine down her throat before the rim next leaves her mouth. "I need this," she murmurs.<p>

Rick moves towards the bed, mimicking the way she sits, on the opposite side of the bed. Kate has another sip of wine before settling it on the bedside table, leaning back and closing her eyes. She blows out a long breath, "What a year..."

"I know."

She already feels like she's on the verge of tears and she blames it on the flight and the long hours that she's spent at the precinct for the last week and the stress of throwing the fucking rulebook out the goddamn window. Her phone has been going off non-stop with calls from the precinct - both Ryan and Esposito know where she's gone but it doesn't mean that the Captain hasn't had the pressure on them trying to reach her. Lanie's dialed twice but she hasn't had a call from her in hours. She's even had three calls from the captain's private line. She occasionally sees Rick rejecting calls, only seeming to take them when it's his daughter or his mother.

She opens her eyes again and knows Rick has been watching her without casting a glance in his direction. She reaches for her wine and finishes the glass before handing it back to Rick. Instead of placing it back down on his own bedside table, he gets up and makes his way back over to the desk. Kate looks up and watches as her pours her another glass, "Oh, Castle, you didn't have to-"

He looks back at her and shakes his head, "Its alright." He walks back over, passing her the wine before heading back towards the living room.

"Where are you going?"

Rick nods towards the door, "Going to put the television on."

Kate subconsciously fiddles with the edge of the comforter she's sitting on, "Oh... uh... you could put it on in here if you like?" She looks back up at him.

He reaches for the remote on the desk and points it at the TV, switching it on as he clicks off the lamp at the same time. The room is bathed in only the glow from a lamp in the kitchenette area and the bedside light as well as the spill over from the television. Rick collects the bottle of wine and the remote and moves back to the bed, settling on top of the covers once again.

Kate sips her wine before looking towards Rick again. He watches her, only slightly distracted by the flicker of the screen. He isn't surprised by the way her eyes glitter after the wine and the day she's had. He turns back to the television, no wanting to make her uncomfortable.

She wakes hours later, lying beneath a small light blanket with her shoes now removed. She blinks in the darkness and can make out the image of Rick lying not far from her, still in his clothes from that day and not under the blanket like she is. She smiles a little to herself. She's not sure when she fell asleep or when he switched off the lights or where he's dumped her shoes or when he got up and found a blanket for her or how she didn't wake at all.

She slips from the bed, gently throwing the blanket back over Rick, before collecting her glass from the bedside table as well as his and the now empty bottle of wine. She'll go sleep in what was meant to be his bed.

She pads quietly to the kitchen, softly placing her glass in the sink. Rick's glass is still half full. She leaves the bottle in the sink as well before pushing herself to sit up on the counter. She can see part of the city outside the balcony window and its so different and so similar to New York. the lights are the same but the buildings and the shapes and the skyline are different. She's used to being surround by lights where as here they just sort of drop off into the darkness only to collect again much further away and lower down. The lights spread further but they don't go nearly as high.

She sips from his glass.

She misses the security of New York. Its not even been 24 hours. She misses the familiarity. She knows those streets like the back of her hand.

She tips his glass against her lips once again.

"Kate?" She hears him quietly in the darkness.

She doesn't respond. She knows he'll find her in a moment.

She looks out the window again and she feels the ache. She misses dependence; misses the chance to depend on someone.

He rounds the corner to the kitchenette as she takes another sip from the glass. He leans against the counter opposite her, watching her and she watches the skyline.

"Couldn't get back to sleep." Not that she even tried. She looks up at him, "I didn't wake you?"

Rick shakes his head. She glances to her lap where she rests the wine glass on her thigh. She looks up again, offering him the merlot. He smiles and shakes his head again, "No thanks."

Kate looks back to the city, taking another drink and letting the heat of the wine spark her tongue and warm its way down her throat. She blinks down at her lap, a tear hitting her thigh. Rick takes a step forward, as she reaches up and wipes at her cheek surreptisciously. "Its days like these where I really miss her, you know?" She looks up at him and knows he's caught the waver in her voice. She ducks her gaze back to her lap "I just miss her saying 'Katie, you're doing the right thing' or telling me what I should be doing instead or phoning me and asking what the hell I'm doing in LA."

Rick reaches over and takes the glass from her hand and places it in the sink, "I just miss her voice, Castle," she half cries and then he's reaching her her.

She loops her arms over his shoulders and he wraps his around her waist gently. He holds her awkwardly as she cries against his neck. After a few minutes she pulls back, wiping at her face. His hands remain at her waist, one resting at her hip while the other pushes a few pieces of hair behind her ear.

"I know that Josh jumps on planes to Africa and Haiti and god knows wherever else and that you maybe don't think you can talk to him sometimes or you don't want to. And I know that you don't want to talk to Lanie because as much death as you have to deal with, she's dealing with it on a daily basis and you just want to let her stay happy at home," he locks his gaze with her as he talks, his thumb gently rubbing her hip as his other hand rests against where her shoulder and neck meet, strands of her hair wrapping around his fingers, "And I know that you don't ever want to talk to your dad about your work because you're terrified that he'd turn back to alcohol."

She reaches up and wipes her cheek again, her fingers accidentally brushing his wrist, "But what I need you to know, is that no matter what, I will always be here and you can talk to me and I can deal with you venting or teasing or you need to laugh or if you feel like you're falling to pieces and nobody gets it. I'm here for you."

She blinks at him, her eyes darting between his eyes then to his lips and then her lap. His thumb slides over her jaw and she looks up at him again. He presses his mouth against hers and her eyes close of their own volition. He's gentle when he kisses her and its nothing like it was months ago. He moves his lips against hers then softly kisses her top lip before moving to her bottom.

They go back and forth like this for a few minutes, enjoying the languid pace in the darkened room, too high above ground level to hear the noises of the city.

Eventually, their mouths part. She kisses him a few more times on the lips before he pulls her towards him, off the counter, so she has to stand on her toes with her arms looped around his neck. She slides them down so she can wrap her arms around his shoulders, her hands filling with the warmth of him. She presses her face against his shirt and breathes deep, "Thank you," she murmurs quietly. She doesn't bother to mention that Josh has been out of the picture for a few weeks now. He'll find out soon enough.

She looks back out towards the window so she can only feel the fabric against her cheek now. She sees the reflection of the sun slowly warming the glass windows of the city and sighs.

His chin rests against her forehead and he breathes in the fragrance of her hair, "Always."


End file.
